January 3, 2014

Suped Up! Cursed by Destiny by Cecy Robson

Celia Wird and her three sisters are just like other 20-something girls—with one tiny exception: they're products of a backfired curse that has given each of them unique powers that make them, well, weird ...

Celia’s a girl in trouble. Her heart is bound to Aric, but he is a purebloodwere who must deny her or risk condemning his species to extinction. And that’s just her love life. She’s also been called to take down a group of demon terrorists looking to overthrow the paranormal world. (No pressure.)

In order to bring them down, Celia must ally herself to Misha, the master vampire who has made no secret of his desire for her. And if that weren’t enough misfortune for one girl, a clairvoyant’s prediction could destroy Celia and Aric’s love for good. The only way to protect the world from unbridled supernatural terrorism is for Celia to bind herself to her destined mate. And that doesn’t appear to be Aric .

The supernatural salad is back and CURSED BY DESTINY is possibly the best Weird Girls novel ever! And in typical Cecy Robson style expect hair raising adventures, knicker knotting romantic tension and all sorts of action it'll be hard to put the darn book down! And that's the easy part! I've been pondering WTH I just read since last night and I'm still at a loss for words. The good is it's always nice when a book scrambles your head and no matter how I shake mine, I still can't seem to find the words to articulate myself so WARNING!This is going to be one of those rambling reviews.

CURSED BY DESTINY ties a couple of conflicts presented in A Cursed Embrace. Celia & Co. are out to finally squash these pesky and dangerous Tribesmen (demons and witches who make nasty babies). They had an optimistic start but their last mission really did it's damage to the group mentally, physically and emotionally, and it was heartbreaking to say the least. Then there's the Misha, Celia and Aric semi love triangle which was resolved but thanks to a certain werewolf Elder, it will become an obtuse triangle come book 4. I'm still shaking my fist on that a-hole, I want to make a rug out of his powerful werewolf pelt! He just raised the stakes and Celia Wird's resilience and loyalty to Aric will be tested once again.

With that I scream SERIOUSLY! to CRobson. Lady, these two have been enough! Can you please stop torturing them and like a good creator/goddess, give them a light pat on the head and send them on their merry way. Torture Taran and Gemini next or even Emme and Liam! Bah!

I haven't known happiness since the day I left your arms. I don't expect your foriveness nor do I deserve it for what I've done to you and to us. - Aric [SEE!! I told you so!]

Weird Girlshave come a long way since Sealed With A Curse. Most of the characters have demonstrated tremendous growth but I will say that I'm still [hoping] waiting for book/s told in the other girl's POV. Shayna and Koda IMO needs a novella, although these two are living their HEA, things have been rough for Shayna following the events in A Cursed Embrace and now it looks like Koda will be the one tried. We rarely see PNR/UF couples live their HEA and these two has a great story to tell. Plus I really want to get into Emme's head and figure out why she blushes all the frickin time?! With Taran for a sister and Liam her a boyfriend, I half expect that she'd be used to the naughtier side of men and women.

Anyway, CURSED BY DESTINY is a great way to kick start by book life this 2014. I ended 2013 with a bunch of feel good, easy and relaxed contemporary romances so it's only fitting that I start this year with some serious butt kicking, adrenalin inducing urban fantasy and CRobson got the job done perfectly! Now I know y'all are bombarded by awesome book recs all the time but seriously, Weird Girls should be on that list! It's a new year so you have more than enough time to get acquainted with Cecy and the girls. Don't let 2014 pass by without saying HI to these crazy chicks!

If you follow the series, I'm sure you've met the infamous Mrs. Mancuso, the girls' rather.... ummm... conservative next door neighbor. I decided to chat with her to find out what it's really like living next to the Weird Girls.

Hi Mrs. Mancuso! Happy New Year and thanks for taking the time to sit and chat with me. I just want to talk to you a bit about your neighbors, Celia Wird and her sisters. The Wird girls seem like a nice bunch but you seem very displeased with them.

Mrs. Mancuso: *scowls* What makes you think they’re nice girls? Clearly, only someone who engages in ill-repute shenanigans of their caliber would believe such a thing. You’re not of ill-repute, are you, Braine?

No! Of course not! But they are nice to me... Can you dish us some dirt about Celia Wird and her sisters?

Mrs. Mancuso: Let’s just say the whore of Babylon―that would be Taran Wird―lives next door and she brought Lulu White, Nell Gwyn, and Sally Salisbury along to play. Men―young, strapping, anatomically gifted, men―walk in from the woods completely naked all the time. *fans self* If you don’t believe me, I have pictures, video, and Powerpoints to prove it! Just, *cough, cough* give them back to me when you’re done. I need them for ah, evidence against them.

Oh sure!... *mutters, I know you have them on your walls lady*... I would love to peruse this presentation of your. Back to the girls, how horrible are they as neighbors? Can you give us incidents of how disruptive they are?

Mrs. Mancuso: You wouldn’t believe it if I told you, but one time, I could swear Celia―the oldest, and in my opinion, the oddest―tossed a man on fire out of the hussy Taran’s window. He burst into flames―right before my eyes―smearing my lawn jockey, Carl, with ash! Don’t look at me that way, Braine. I know it sounds ridiculous, but how do you explain Carl?

I don't really know but I heard that was an epic scene. So 4 sisters means lots of boys. Does it bother you when their boyfriends come over?

Mrs. Mancuso: Yes―well, except for their nice friend, Brendan. He’s a handsome fellow who frequently reads to them from the bible and takes them to church when he’s not busy volunteering at the local soup kitchen. Such a nice boy, that Brendan.I agree. I just had the pleasure of getting to know him better and he's real cool. Aside from Brendan, what do you think about those other hunky boys the girls are friends with?

Mrs. Mancuso: I can’t say much for the others, but I can speak for Brendan. When my granddaughter, Jennifer, a librarian from Ohio, came to visit, wouldn’t you know that Brendan took her out for frequent nature walks in the woods? They would leave for hours at a time. What adventures they must have had out there! Every time they returned, Jennifer’s knees would be soiled with mud and her face was flushed from all her exertion. According to Jennifer, Brendan’s a very, very good time!

*Giggles* I bet Brendan got her working really hard, maybe they're doing calisthenics in the woods, one on one CrossFit maybe? I heard from the girls that you always flip them off along with a slew of curses that will make a sailor blush. Care to comment on that one?

Mrs. Mancuso: Are you going to believe heathens who straddle their boyfriends on the porch swings like the souls of orphaned children depended on it, or a little old lady who gave up her day to speak with you, Braine? Well, I’m waiting for your response.

I'm sorry. I guess not *cowers*... ehem...You've always threatened to file a complaint or even sue, why haven't you done it yet?

Mrs. Mancuso: I have. Believe me I have. But every time I report it, the sheriff arrives, Taran Wird steps out dressed like the trollop she is, and then the sheriff leaves like he’s under some kind of ridiculous spell. I know that’s not possible, so I’m assuming she pays him back as only that Jezebel can.Go Taran! Oops! Did I just say that out loud? Lastly, I'm going to meet with them later, do you have a message for the girls? I promise I will relay it to them verbatim.

Mrs. Mancuso: What is a supposed nice lady like you meeting with them for? Did you learn nothing from this conversation! *Tucks in neck skin defiantly* Besides, anything I have to say, I will tell them directly. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have evidence to review!Send me a copy of that Powerpoint, Mrs. Mancuso!

Cecy (pronounced Sessy) Robson is an author with Penguin's
SIGNET ECLIPSE. She attributes her passion for story-telling back to the rough
New Jersey neighborhood she was raised in. As a child, she was rarely allowed
to leave the safety of her house and passed her time fantasizing about flying,
fairies, and things that go bump in the night. Her dad unwittingly encouraged
Cecy's creativity by kissing her goodnight wearing vampire fangs. Gifted and
cursed with an overactive imagination, she began writing her Urban Fantasy
Romance Series, Weird Girls, in May 2009. THE WEIRD GIRLS: A Novella, debuts
December 4, 2012 followed by SEALED WITH A CURSE, December 31, 2012, and A
CURSE EMBRACED, July 2, 2013.

Oh, good ol' Mrs. Mancuso. She's such a kick in the support hose. I'm glad you enjoyed Cursed by Destiny, Braine. Thank you for being part of my tour and for the wonderful feature. Happy 2014, everyone!

I'm not entering cause I already got an ARC and I loved it! Like you I started the new year with this book and that ending ;-) Love it but seriously like you I want Aric and Celia to get a break cause they are meant to be and they need to be a little less tortured now! Btw when you make the rug make sure to mount it where it can serve as a warning to anyone else that wants to mess with Aric and Celia! Lol!

Oh I'm so glad you enjoyed the book as much as I did! It was awesome isn't it? Her books are so good! And I just love the little interview with the old lady, it's so fun. Thank you so much for everything!

Mrrrarg! Yep. Gonna have to read these in 2014. I've had them on my list since the first was released just haven't gotten to them. But dang. Yall keep tempting me. It's gonna happen this year. Really it is. lol